A New Flame
by Ashton Lithe
Summary: Kingdom Hearts 2 A.U.  Axel is a student in high school, having a major crush on a girl in his English class.  When words come out wrong, his world gets flipped upside down.  Can he make it up to her?
1. The Story

Axel pushed himself off of the desk he was leaning against. The apple of his eye, a certain young lady by the name of Artex, had just walked into the room. Roxas, Axel's best friend, rolled his eyes as he returned to his work.

"She's out of your league." He muttered in a sing songy voice. The redhead shook his head.

"No, she isn't. She just needs some persuasion." A cocky smile appeared on Axel's lips. Neither Lea nor Reno would screw it up this time.

Axel chuckled at the thought. Lea, his twin brother, was goofier than Axel. Reno, the twins' cousin, was just as goofy as Lea and Axel combined. All three of the men had red hair: Axel's was the darkest, styled into long spikes or pulled back into a ponytail. Reno had his styled up on top, close on the back and then in a longer ponytail most of the time. Lea wore his similar to Axel, but his hair color was more of a red-orange.

Roxas laughed at Axel.

"Trust me! She's best friends with Riku, who is Sora's boyfriend, if you've forgotten. Plus, she hangs around Olette a lot too, so I know all about her. She is way out of your league." Axel brushed off his friend's attempts to keep him under control.

"Tch, please. You've told me all of the stories you've heard. We're perfect for each other!" Roxas sighed and gave up. His pencil scratched across the paper. Roxas as actually secretly worried about his friend; he had gotten his heart broken before.

Axel moved over to where Artex was sitting. She lounged against the wall, her hand dangling out the window. Olette and Kairi were babbling on one side of her.

"Hey," Axel said, plopping down in the seat next to her. He never brought his stuff for this sole reason. He could easily change seats without having to haul around books.

"Hi." She murmured, glancing back at Olette and Kairi. The two girls were now giggling profusely, casting glances at Artex and Axel. Artex smoothed down her skirt, adjusting her school tie after that. Axel, after creeping for a while, discovered it was a nervous habit she had. In English, when the teacher called on her to read, she wouldn't stand up. She would stay in her seat, smoothing her skirt constantly and running her hands along her lap.

"So, uh, did you do the homework last night?" Axel asked.

"Yes, I did." Artex sighed. "No, you can't copy it." Her quick gold eyes were smiling as she said the last part. Axel grinned.

"Aw, dang." They shared a quick laugh before another awkward silence fell over them. The teacher came in then, making everyone shut up.

Axel kept stealing glances over at Artex throughout the class. Her profile was pretty. Her nose, which looked small and button like from head on, was long and regal. Her gold eyes shone and absorbed everything the teacher said. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, leaving her white bangs to frame her face.

"Axel!" The teacher barked. The red head jerked his gaze back over to the teacher.

"Hm?"

"Please, read back the paragraph I've just discussed with the class." Axel looked down at his desk. No book. Artex grimaced. Someone across the room got the message.

"Actually, Mr. Valentine, I had a question about one of the lines." The student spoke up. Axel noticed it was Riku. Artex quickly slid the book onto Axel's desk, opened to the page.

"Second one, right side." She murmured. A small piece of paper was also stuck in the book.

_What's your locker number?_ Axel smiled as he read it. Riku was still going on about his question, buying them ample time. He scrawled down the number quickly, and added: _It's not locked._ Artex chuckled when she read it.

"Mr. Valentine, I seem to have forgotten my book in my locker. I know, I'm foolish, but do you think I can go get it quickly?" The teacher glared at her but nodded. Axel watched her hips sway as she walked out of the room.

"Now, Axel, read that paragraph."

"Yessir, Mr. Vincent." Axel smirked, picking up the small volume. He stood up, clearing his throat. He read.

"But no words could describe her beauty. The sun was setting right behind her, not yet low enough to cause a silhouette. Her black hair shone blue and purple in the light; her pale skin golden. A smile played at her lips as the wind blew around her hair and dress. I reached out, placing my hand upon her bare shoulder. I tried again and again to form words to explain how much I…" His voice dropped off, eyes trailing back over to the door. Artex stood there, her mouth slightly open. A blush played at her pale cheeks. Axel could feel his face flush as he muttered the last two words in the paragraph. His skinny ass found his seat with no issues. His emerald green eyes stared at the desk, knowing that he had fucked up.

Artex took her seat; Axel knew from the sudden yet subtle whiff of her perfume. They didn't exchange books as the teacher wrote down some key points on the board.

"How come you were blushing?" Axel asked when the bell rang. Artex avoided eye contact.

"You replaced most of the _her_'s with my name." She explained. She quickly gathered her things and promptly left the classroom. Nobody said anything about it to Axel. Most of the girls just gave giggles and silly little glances. At lunch, the fiery red head shoved the food around his plate.

"Looks like you don't need us to fuck up your love life, bro!" Lea said jokingly as he sat across from him. Reno sat next to him, a worried look on his face.

"Cousin, what's wrong." It wasn't a question; it was a direct command to tell him. Roxas, who was sitting on Axel's other side, scoffed.

"He was forced to read a paragraph out of the novel we're reading and he screwed it up, basically screaming at the class that he has a thing for Artex. Oh, and then she walked in on it."

Reno laughed. The soda he was sipping ended up all over Lea. The younger twin wiped himself off before consoling his brother.

Artex avoided Axel the rest of the day. Her sister, Tera, gave him ugly looks.

"Tera's just overprotective," Axel muttered to himself. "She always acts like that." But it wasn't true. Tera was almost always like that, but it had gotten worse. She wasn't overly friendly to Axel at first, but now… Axel scowled at the thought.

"Get over it!" He continued to mutter. He was on his way home; the fall air was brisk around him. He sniffled a little; a possible cold, most likely. Running a hand through his spiky hair, he sighed. "This isn't right. I know I was reading right from the book." He pulled it out. Opening to the page, he noticed he had the wrong book. "Shit!" Axel pulled out the bookmark, a simple thing with her name, address, and phone number on it. A black tassel was strung through the top. Little doodles were drawn over the rest of the space.

"Great." At least he had an excuse to go see her. And she couldn't turn him away. Granted, she could just not answer the door, but knowing her she wouldn't.

He headed home first, to drop things off. She actually lived just down the road from his house. Lea and Reno were in detention, again. Maybe she could come over, and Axel could try to make it up to her…? The sudden stirring in his groin told him to stop that train of thought.

"Sigh," He mused. The phone sat on its cradle, mocking him. His parents weren't home; they almost never were. With butterflies and fireballs flying around in his intestines, he picked up the phone and dialed the number. Artex's soft voice answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" She asked. Her voice didn't seem scared, just extremely soft. Maybe she had been sleeping? Axel thought about hanging up right then, saying he had the wrong number.

"Hey, Artex? It's Axel… Um, I still have your book, from English."

"Oh,"

"Do you want it back tonight? I can run it over to your house or you could stop by to pick it up."

"I would like it back tonight; I have some other work folded up in the back. I'm kinda busy right now though. I have to cook dinner before Tera and my mom get home. Could you run it over?" Axel thought about it. Maybe he could say that something came up, that Lea was sick and he couldn't leave him.

"Sure. What time do you want it?" He didn't listen to his minor thoughts.

"Right now? I need to get my homework done, and I like to get it done before 9."

"Yeah, sure. You live down at the cross roads, right? In the dark blue house with the tin roof?"

"That's the one. It's almost creepy how you know that."

"I've loved that house since I was born," Axel stated. "And that was before you moved into it. I'll be over in a few minutes." He hung up before he could embarrass himself any more. A quick shower, slicking his naturally spiky hair back into a ponytail, making sure he looked okay. Tera didn't get home until late anyway, he knew that much. He assumed that her mom also picked up Tera. That meant both of them would get home around 7. It was only three thirty.

The walk was pleasant. The small novel was in his hand. Axel hoped that he wouldn't get sweat on it. Artex always took books seriously, which is why she often hung out with Zexion, the local book worm and dweeb.

Before he turned into the drive, Axel bit his lip. Was this a mistake? He couldn't tell. She probably thought he was a creep now, after the scene in English. Another scene crossed his mind. It had happened after English, when he deduced that she was avoiding him.

_"Artex! Wait up!" Axel called after the dark haired girl. She was disappearing into the gym. Axel knew she didn't have it in her class schedule; he had procured a copy of it from Roxas who got it from Riku. Axel saw the tail of her skirt disappear behind the doors. Cursing himself, he followed her. A couple people were already in the gym. _

_ "Hey, you seen Artex?" One said, in a general conversation. They weren't talking to Axel. "She looked scared and creeped out when she passed through here."_

_ "Heh, pretty little girl like her is bound to have a stalker or two. God knows I'd love to fuck her pretty little brains out." Raucous laughter ensued. Axel snarled at them, dropping his back pack._

_ "Hey, fuckholes, Artex ain't a slut." He walked up to them. He was tall, with different hair, which usually intimidated people. Too bad these weren't some of those people._

_ "Oh? And you know this how? We heard some stories that you professed your love to her in front of everyone in Vincent's period 3 English class." One sniggered._

_ "Yeah. Seems like she turned you down too. Which means that the little pussy is still up for grabs." Axel could feel the fire in his gut. He was pissed. His hand reached instinctively for his lighter. A nagging voice stopped him. _You're still in school, dumbass_. It said. Axel snarled at them, pushing them against the bleachers instead._

_ "Leave her alone. I don't care if she doesn't love me, got it memorized? I'm still gonna stand up for her against pricks like you." They snarled right back. Before Axel knew it, a quick right jab hit him in the chin. His world spun, ears rang. It took him a second. It was almost the end of the day, nobody would be in the gym for any real purpose. Nobody would see him get the shit beat out of him. He didn't care. He was sticking up for Artex. He braced himself as the punches started flying and the feet started kicking._

_ He didn't know how long it had been. He groggily woke up to someone shaking his shoulder._

_ "Hey, kid, are you alright?" The voice had a slight drawl to it. Axel placed the person as Demyx, a fellow student in the same class as Axel. The blonde boy smiled at him. "Hey, you okay? Want me to help you down to the office?" Axel shook his head. He felt like a train ran over him._

_ "Nah, I'm good." _

_ "Huh, alright. Artex came and got me, saying that some kids were beating someone up in the gym." Axel's eyes widened. _

_ "Artex Harper?" Demyx nodded._

_ "Yep. I was with Tera and she came running up to us in hysterics. Said something about someone getting the shit beat out of them for sticking up for someone." Demyx shrugged. "None of my business, but I told the girls I would check up on it." Axel scoffed; Demyx was a total pacifist. _

Axel shook his head, clearing his thoughts. It would've been all worth it if Artex had woken him up. But no, she had to see him get the shit beat out of him. At least she got help. Axel sighed.

"Might as well get this over with." He muttered.

Before he could knock, the door opened. Artex was standing there, her face blotted and red from crying. Her eyes were still leaking some tears. She sniffled and smiled.

"Hey," Axel was dumbfounded.

"Have you been crying?" He murmured. His free hand cupped her cheek. "Artex, you don't have to cry." He knew he still looked bad.

"Come in, I can get you a drink or a snack or something." Her voice was small. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, ending about mid-back on her. Axel didn't know her hair was that long. He followed her into the house, the slim volume that started this entire mess still in his hand.

"Nice house. I always knew it was better on the inside." Artex smiled sadly at him. They were in the kitchen now. A small pot was on the stove, steam rising from the lid. The oven was on, and the delicious smell of roasting chicken rose in the air. Artex grinned at Axel as she handed him a cup of water.

"Thanks. For the book, for standing up for me, and for bringing it over." Her eyes were dry now, but Axel could tell she had been having major crying fits.

"Not a problem." The red head sipped at the water, keeping an eye on the black haired girl as she bustled around the kitchen. She disappeared through a door, only to come back with Axel's book.

"Here you go. I noticed we hadn't switched back, but I don't know your phone number." A slight blush stained her cheeks.

"It's fine." Axel murmured, taking the book and laying it on the table. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for the English scene…"

"Its fine, Axel." The red head could feel the blush on his cheeks as the familiar stirring of his nether regions started. God, did her voice saying his name turn him on. "I knew you had a crush on me, Roxas told me at one point. I kinda put it out of my mind though." A small smile, almost a grin, played at her lips.

"Oh? Remind me to hit him later, then."

"It wasn't that well kept a secret. I mean, you hang out around my locker; you would go to the library when you knew I was working there with Zexion, and you always cast these side long looks at me. Besides, hardly anybody sticks up for me." Her glance was now aimed at the floor. Two of Axel's long fingers brushed a hunk of hair out of her face. She glanced up at him; for the first time, Axel saw how vulnerable she was. Her gold eyes were warm, almost like amber. They weren't the typical cold and calculating stare she had at school. He brushed along her cheek bone, tracing the path that the tears had taken. She nuzzled against his hand. Axel leaned down, just as she tilted her head back up. Their lips touched gently. That simple and barely there touch sent shivers down both of their spines. Artex's arms wrapped around his shoulders, bringing him back down to her lips.

Artex was still wearing her school uniform. Axel quickly stripped her of her tie and undid the first few buttons of her shirt.

"Axel!" Artex murmured. Axel stopped, worried he had done something wrong.

"Hm?"

"At least let me pull the food off so we don't start a fire. My bedroom is down the hall, second door to the right." He pouted and took the directions, opening the door to reveal a small bedroom. The walls were painted a deep blue, with the ceiling being black and having specks of white across it. There was no overhead light, just the window and the table lamps set up around it. Axel found the light switch, wondering what it did if there was no overhead light. He flipped it, and was surprised.

"They're supposed to be stars." Artex said, walking in behind him. The switch had, indeed, flipped on some lights. What the red head had assumed to be just white paint flecks turned out to be actual LED lights. They lit up the ceiling just like the stars did at night.

"Wow."

"Thank Tera. She came up with the idea. Artex sat on her small bed. It was shoved into the corner, no box-spring or bed frame. A sheet was tossed over it and over that a blanket. A pillow was slumped up against the mattress and the floor. She smiled at Axel.

"About in the kitchen," Axel started.

"You weren't going to fast. Ok, maybe you were, but I understand." Her voice soothed all of his fears. He found himself smiling right along with her. Instead of wanting to fuck her, like he had only a few minutes before, he found himself wanting to sit and actually hold a conversation with her. He wanted to learn about her life, what Tera was really like, how she was treated by her family, why she liked school so much… A million plus questions were burning in his head.

And that's exactly what they did. Axel sat facing the dark haired girl, and they talked the hours away. Axel found out that they held a few things in common. She was a gamer, had a very close and concise circle of friends, enjoyed reading and love the autumn most of all the seasons. Axel told her what it was like living with Lea and Reno, and how they had cock-blocked him on many an occasion. He told her why he hated school, how he felt neglected by his parents, and how he was jealous of Riku and Roxas and Sora for knowing her so well. He told her about when he first discovered he had a crush on her, and all the scenarios that ran through his head everyday when he saw her.

All too soon, the sun had completely set and Tera and her mom came home. Artex and Axel greeted them, saying that they were just discussing a book for English and that Axel was leaving now. With a slight push, Axel was out the door and walking back to his house, heart full of joy. He knew that the good relationships started out like this, minus the whole trying to have sex while she was finishing dinner thing. Was he hopeful? Yeah, a lot of people could say that.

"Where were you? You didn't even leave a note!" Lea scolded when his older brother walked into the house.

"Not getting cock-blocked by you, that's where." Axel replied, slightly snappy. He didn't want his high to be ruined by his brother, or his cousin. Instead of talking to both of them at the same time, he decided that he would deal with them later. Axel headed to his room, which, he discovered, was a polar opposite of Artex's. His walls were painted a bright red, a large overhead light on the ceiling. His bed was a bunk that had the desk under it, and he only had one small window high up on the wall. Sighing, Axel collapsed into his computer chair and began to update his journal.

_10.15.2010_ He wrote. _Finally held a real conversation with Artex. Turns out we have a lot in common. She found all of my corny jokes, the ones that Roxas hates, hilarious. I think we might just last, if we ever go out. I dunno. I don't wanna curse it. Who knows what the future holds? Besides, I have to help Roxie get a boyfriend. I don't know what it is about the Hart family, but both kids are gay. Meh, none of my business. Just as long as Roxas is happy, I'm happy. Of course, I'd be super happy if Roxas was happy and I had Artex, but y'know. I'll take what I can get. Tomorrow's another day. Maybe I'll forget my book in my locker again… Eh, I'll decide later. Time for some sleep. Probably going to dream of Artex. It should be a good dream though._

He crawled into bed, stripping while he did so. He tossed his dirty clothes into the pile and clicked the light out. His head hit the fluffy pillow with a thump. He prayed he would dream of Artex. He prayed that they would get together, and last. He prayed that they would move into the house that Axel loved so much, the one Artex had taken possession of, and that they would grow old and happy. He prayed that they would have at least one kid. He also prayed that he wasn't asking for too much. He was, after all, Axel. He was known for going through every girl, and the occasional guy, that came asking him for sexual pleasure. He slacked off school work, barely passing all of his classes with C's.

Sighing, his eyes slid shut. The adrenaline was wearing off. The tall boy was now insanely tired. With a contented sigh, he fell into sleep.


	2. Epilogue

Years passed. Axel and Artex got together, and actually did last. Roxas met the guy of his dreams, by the name of Isa. Everyone was happy. Axel and Artex moved into the house they both loved so much. A few years after that, after Axel and Artex had found good jobs and graduated college (they had had a small wedding), the sound of tiny feet echoed through the halls. All of Axel's prayers had been answered.

It was one night, when their child (whom they named Kalcifer) was approaching his teens, that Axel and Artex mused on the day that started it all.

"I still have that book." Axel stated, sipping at his coffee. Artex grinned.

"Boy, if you told Vincent that he would kill you." They laughed. Kalcifer was tucked away safely in bed.

"That night, after you literally pushed me out the front door, I prayed that we would end up like this." Axel admitted. He had never told anyone that before. Artex blushed, pushing back a bit of her white bangs from her face.

"Heh, I was too, actually…" A shy smile graced her lips. Axel stared at her, his eyes wide.

"Jeez, just make me feel totally unspecial in God's eyes!" He said jokingly. The couple laughed again, quietly. Artex stood up and stretched. Axel wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Artex?"

"Hm?"

"I love you, got it memorized?" He murmured. Artex kissed him gently.

"I had it memorized before you even told me."


End file.
